HTC is fighting for its survival against a lawsuit-zealous Apple. (Source: Reuters / Pichi Chuang)

Is Apple trying to kill the free market? HTC's law team thinks so

HTC Corp.'s (SEO:066570)
general counsel, Grace Lei, issued a scathing analysis of competitor Apple,
Inc. (AAPL)
to the Agence France Press(AFP), commenting,
"HTC is disappointed at Apple's constant attempts at litigations instead
of competing fairly in the market. HTC strongly denies all infringement claims
by Apple in the past and present and reiterates our determination and
commitment to protect our intellectual property rights."

Those harsh words come as the gadget maker is
fighting for its very survival in the face of Apple's legal harassment.
Apple is seeking a temporary injunction that wouldblock
shipments of productin the U.S., essentially killing HTC's sales.

Apple chief Steve Jobs accuses HTC and other
Android phone makers of conspiring to "steal" "innovation"
from his iPhone. He claims that Android phone makers copied the iPhone's
look, which was protected under a design patent. He also claims Android
phone makers infringed on his
company's patent on undervolting a CPUvia
interrupt and on multi-touch gestures such as the "pinch" movement.
Apple has sued HTC in multiple countries.

HTC rose from relative obscurity by becoming one
of the first phone makers to wholeheartedly embrace Android. Today it is
one of the most prominent Android phone makers on the market.

TheAFPreport contains a minor error in that it states that
Apple and Finland's Nokia (HEL:NOK1V) are
currently suing each other. Those suits have actually beensettled
by both partiesunder a licensing agreement.